NHTSA Complaint #11503267 — 2017 KIA OPTIMA

ENGINE MALFUNCTION: It is available for inspection at Lee Kia, Greenville, NC On January 20, 2023, my car experienced a blinking Malfunction Lamp (MIL) when I was out of town at an appointment in Williamston, NC, 16 miles away. This is the indicator, when blicking, warning for the Knock Sensor Detection System software that was put on my car on December 20, 2018 that the engine is malfunctioning. After my appointment, I drove the car one mile to AutoZone in Williamston, NC and they plugged in their sensor and got the P1326 code. While at AutoZone, I called the Service Center at Lee Kia of Greenville, NC and reported what had happened. They told me not to drive the car and have it towed to them, 1 hour away. My tow service would only allow towing ½ mile to the Dodge Dealership. I called Lee Kia Service Center and talked to a [XXX], Manager of the Service Center. She said it had to go to a Kia Dealership to be covered under the Engine Replacement Recall. On Saturday, January 21, 2023, I called the Service Center at Lee Kia and asked for an update on the car. The Service person told me that it had arrived and they would diagnosis it either that day or on Monday, January 23, 2023. On Monday, January 23, 2023 in the early afternoon, I called Judith the Manager of Lee Kia Service Center and asked for an update on the car. She told me it would take 4 months to diagnosis the car and I would not be able to have a rental car until it was diagnosed. When I asked why it would take 4 months to diagnose my car, she said she had 15 cars ahead of me. She said she only has two technicians that can diagnosis and it takes one day to diagnose a car. The mathematics of that did not add up. My car should be diagnosed in 16 business days, not 4 months. She refused to help me. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).